Meet the Program Leaders!

Vanessa, 17: I became a program leader because I feel like I learned so much and I am going through so much in this span of my life. I might as well teach and educate everyone in certain issues dealing with today. I enjoy reading, having movie nights and outings with friends. My ultimate life goal is to be successful and live a carefree life. Ryan, 19: I really love educating the youth which is a major part of why I became a program leader. I feel that many things that should be taught are not reaching the youth properly, which is why this job is important to me. Music, reading and writing plays a great role in my life. I eventually I would like to be a stylist and open my own salon. Meredith , 18: I have been a peer educator and program leader for the past three years. Helping others is always worth the craziness and sometimes craziness makes life all the better. Just like everyone else I enjoy music especially indie. I am always interested in discovering new music. My current life goal is earning a college degree. Mary , 19:The reason for being a program leader for me was easy. I love when I get the chance to get out and hopefully educate on topics I was trained on. On my off days I love singing and acting and I am a major music fan, as it plays a big part in my life. My ultimate life goal is to become a social worker. Lorenzo ,18: My purpose for becoming a program leader is to show LGBT youth that you can be different and still be a leader. I enjoy entertaining others by playing the piano, singing and dancing. My life goal is to explore the works of this wonderful world and give inspiration to the LGBT youth. Justin ,19: I became a program leader to help inform my peers about information based on facts and details rather than myths and stereotypes. In my spare time, I like to read and write. I enjoy being an activist for LGBT youth. My life goals consist of helping and educating others and teaching them they are not alone. I eventually would like to become a social worker. Jonathan , 17: One reason I became a program leader is because I wanted to work in a place where LGBT is not only accepting but praised. Another reason is to share the message with LBGT Latinos like myself that is okay to be gay. I like to draw, talk and laugh. Laughing makes my day worthwhile. My life goal is to go to college for business and open my own advertising firm. Charles , 19: I became a program leader to help be a role model for peers in my community. Being a program leader helps me to stay motivated in my education and stay focused on my goals. In my free time I enjoy writing music. I eventually would like to help at least one person during my time as a program leader.

Program Leaders launch their new blog!

The Program Leaders at Pride for Youth in Bellmore, NY are excited to launch this blog as a way of networking with others and addressing the sexual health concerns of LGBT youth and their straight allies. What are Program Leaders, you ask? Well, they are teenagers just like you, who work to educate their peers in Nassau County on such topics as HIV/AIDS, teen pregnancy, STI/STD’s and homophobia. They visit local GSA’s and other youth groups in order to spread education and awareness on these issues. They also collaborate, in an Adult/Youth Consortium, with a group of adults who are interested in generating change in our community with regard to the needs and concerns of LGBT youth. Program Leaders also assist with Pride for Youth’s Mpowerment program. The Mpowerment Program works with young men individually, in groups and through community outreach and events to provide opportunities for these young men to socialize and develop supportive relationships, and also become educated on HIV/STD prevention and safer sex. And last but not least, they will be updating and maintaining their new blog! They will be writing on a variety of subjects related to LGBT youth, from current issues in the media and political concerns to local events and updates on what we are doing at Pride for Youth. A particular focus of their blog postings will be to educate LGBT youth on all aspects of sexual health and healthy decision making. They welcome questions, particularly related to sexual health and the coming out process. If you have a question or comment or want to “friend” us, visit their page on Livejournal at http://programleaders.livejournal.com/. You may also visit our page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/profile.php?id=100001422798770. You must attend at least one Coffeehouse on a Friday night at Pride for Youth before they will accept your friend request. Anyone, regardless of their “friend status” is encouraged to email them with questions or concerns. We look forward to hearing from you! Keep an eye out! Our Program Leader’s profiles are coming soon!

Bullied to Death: by Jill Estes

After reading recent news articles about three gay student suicides all within the same school district in the same year, I was reminded how important it is to address this issue. It is no shock that LGBT youth face extreme amounts of isolation at school, at home, at religious organizations and in our community. Along with this isolation they are also facing high levels of homophobia, bullying and harassment. This has been the case for decades and is continually a problem for these youth. A gay student by the name of Justin Aaberg took his own life on July 9th this year. He was one of three gay students in the Anoka school district in Minnesota to commit suicide this year. This created uproar in the community between LGBT advocacy groups and anti-gay groups. To hear a testimony from his mother’s words please reference this article. http://minnesotaindependent.com/64047/anti-gay-group-organizes-in-anoka-schools-as-community-deals-with-gay-suicides A 1989 US government study found that LGBT youth are 2-3 times more likely to attempt suicide than other young people. This finding was supported by a 2001 study that found LGBT adolescents 2.3-2.5 times more likely to commit suicide than their heterosexual peers. Also, psychological autopsies- that is the examination of a person’s psychological state in the time leading up to their death, show an alarming 30% of LGBT youth among the dead teens that have committed suicide. Psychologists believe that number may be higher, as LGBT teens are more likely to have the true cause of death and their sexual identity hidden by their family members. Many LGBT teens out there do not know where to turn to for help. Most of these youth cannot go to their families, teachers, peers, religious organizations or communities for help. But there are people to turn to for help. Right here in Long Island we are lucky to have Pride for Youth. We provide counseling including individual and family counseling, a drop-in center on Friday nights and support groups for LGBT youth. Also the Long Island Crisis Center provides short term crisis intervention on a 24/7 hotline. One more great resource is the Trevor Project, the leading national organization focused on crisis and suicide prevention for LGBT and questioning youth. All these resources are free, anonymous and confidential. The question here is how do we lower the risk of suicide for LGBT youth? The answer, I believe, is education. Already in many school districts we provide suicide prevention education. And in some school districts we are able to provide homophobia education. Recently passed was The Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) in New York, a bill that will prohibit harassment against students in school, including harassment based on real or perceived race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression and sex. This bill will require schools to adopt policies to make schools harassment and discrimination-free environments and also incorporate discrimination and harassment awareness into education curricula. This gives us an amazing opportunity to get into more schools to educate staff and students making a less homophobic environment. When taken into account these breaking news stories of gay student suicides and the alarming statistics of LGBT youth suicides in the US, one can hopefully see the need for more diversity education in the schools for both staff and students. With the passing of DASA, doors should be opened for us to get in and provide this ever so important education. My hopes are that over the next few years we will see these numbers drop and we will have less students being “bullied to death”. Resources: Pride for Youth (516)679-9000 www.prideforyouth.org The Long Island Crisis Center (516)679-1111 www.longislandcrisiscenter.org The Trevor Project (866)4-U-TREVOR or (866)488-7386 www.thetrevorproject.org

Dignity for All Students Act signed into law! by Andy Peters

The need for better policies and training to prevent anti-LGBT harassment in schools has been self-evident to those of us who are LGBT. In 2000, PFY surveyed Nassau County students and found that 1 in 10 had been physically harassed due to their perceived sexual orientation. Nearly all of them reported that derogatory words like “faggot” and “dyke” get spouted from the mouths of classmates (and even teachers) on a regular basis. So it’s great progress that Governor Patterson recently signed into law the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA). Advocacy groups have been pushing for this legislation for ten years, and PFY has been a critical part of the effort. In annual trips to Albany, in-district meetings with elected officials, and through personal letters, young people and staff have kept the issue alive year in, year out. Many times, we wonder if our voices make a difference. DASA is evidence that the answer most definitely is YES! DASA establishes a consistent set of standards for preventing discrimination and harassment in schools—those motivated by anti-LGBT attitudes or other prejudices—and, quite significantly the law includes gender identity/expression as a protected category. Here’s a summary of the law from Empire State Pride Agenda. After ten years of hard work, the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) will prohibit harassment against students in school, including harassment based on real or perceived race, Color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and expression and sex. 40 states have anti-bullying laws and now New York will join those states. New York is also one of the 14 states that include sexual orientation and gender identity/expression in its anti-bullying protections. DASA makes history marking the first time that gender identity and expression are explicitly protected under New York State law. This is an incredible victory for our community and was made possible by the tireless advocacy of so many organizations statewide including Pride For Youth. DASA will specifically require schools to: -Adopt policies to make schools harassment- and discrimination-free environments; -Inform students and parents of anti-discrimination and harassment policies; -Develop guidelines to be used in school training programs for teachers, administrators and other school employees to discourage the development of discrimination and harassment among staff and students; -Create guidelines relating to the development of nondiscriminatory instruction and counseling’ -Incorporate discrimination and harassment awareness and sensitivity into civility, citizenship and character education curricula; -Provide a staff member trained in human-relations counseling; and -Report on incidents of discrimination and bias harassment to the State Education Department.

Our Academy Awards Prom by Andrea Fogel

Pride for Youth’s Academy Award themed Prom was nothing less than magical. As early as 7:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time movie stars, singers, paparazzi and even Joan Rivers began to arrive on the red carpet. The night was filled with nothing but elegance including Pizza from a Five Star restaurant, “Joes Pizzeria” in Merrick and a sheet cake from the very prestigious BJ’s wholesale Club. The biggest hit of the night was the chocolate fountain that marshmallows, pretzels, fruits and graham crackers were dipped into creating long lasting chocolate covered smiles. The Rich, Famous and Beautiful enjoyed a night of dancing under the stars and no one left empty handed, all receiving their very own academy award. August 27th, 2010 will sure be a night to remember. -Andrea Fogel, LMSW LGBT Program Supervisor